I read a fascinating book this summer. (And by read, I once again mean that I listened on Audible.) So fascinating, in fact, that I keep thinking and talking about it months later.
The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way
Looking for More STEM? Here’s How You Actually Inspire Your Child’s Mind
There’s so much I like about Verizon’s new “Inspire Her Mind” commercial (seen below and here), but something about it left me feeling unsettled.
How Can We Make Our Schools Better?
I was in a discussion recently with a friend of mine who is also a public school administrator. As we bantered back and forth about what could be done to improve schools — increased teacher pay, which would rely on increased accountability for teachers to be high quality, a determination which shouldn’t rely on standardized tests especially for young children, and round and round and round — it quickly became clear that a simple request like “improve our schools” can be a tangled, and very opinion-filled process.
That shouldn’t be a surprising realization, since education reform or school improvement seems to be a perennial hot topic. But what struck me in the conversation was when my friend, in obvious frustration said something like, “It’s hard to figure it all out.”
What You Need to Know About the Summer Slide
This is our favorite version of the summer slide!
If you haven’t already seen the catch phrase everywhere lately, you soon will. From the headlines and pin titles, it appears people are working to avoid “summer slide” like it was the next pandemic. So what are the facts about the summer slide and what’s the best approach for you and your school age kids? [Read more…]
Steve Spangler and the Human Beings
I’ve been having some fun telling people I shared a speaking engagement with Steve Spangler over the weekend. Technically it is true, though Steve and I never actually met. He was the keynote speaker at an early childhood education conference where I taught one of the breakout sessions.
From Thinking to Doing
Thank you for your thoughtful comments on the State of Education stats graphic. You brought up great points, questioned conclusions, and looked at the issue from many different perspectives. It’s clear that education has many areas that could use some rethinking and some reworking. It’s a complicated topic and it’s easy to feel like the problem is bigger than we are. But there’s always something we can do to make a difference. Here are just a few ideas: [Read more…]
Things that Make You Go Hmmmm.
I received this stats graphic recently and found it very interesting. If there’s one thing that I learned from grad school, it was to ask questions, and stats like these bring all kinds of questions to my mind. Questions about the sample, about correlation vs causation, about significance and the almighty “if so, then what” question. But I want to hear from you. What did you find here that made you go hmmmm? What do you think about the state of education in the US (or in other countries for that matter)? Is the system broken and if so, how do we start to fix it? Did you make doodles like these in high school? (OK, maybe that last question is less important.) Check these out and then chime in in the comments section (then come back Friday to see where we go from here):
Via: OnlineEducation.net
